1. The French Revolution
1789-1799
LifeLearn
11 October 2010
session IV Constitutions
I. Civil Constitution of the Clergy, 1790
A. Paris, the new seat of government
1. Tuileries & Manège
B. seizing Church property
1. Assignats-paper money based on Church lands
C. further measures
1. closing the monasteries
2. the Church reacts
a. juring and non-juring clergy
b. “Constitutionals” –elected bishops and clergy
D. departments replace provinces
1. local government “rationalized”
E. Fête de la Fédération; 14 July 1790
1. the Paris ceremony
a. Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira!
b. “Civil Religion”
II. Flight to Varennes; 21 June 1791
A. background to the flight
1. poisonous press
a. Marat, Desmoulins, Hébert, Fréron
2. the death of Mirabeau
B. a disastrous decision
1. causes
a. Axel Fersen’s role
2. the journey
a. what went wrong?
3. the consequences
III. Constitution of 1791
A. establishing constitutional monarchy
1. the problem of Louis’ status
a. Louis’ defenders

2. B. the constitution’s features
1. citizens’ rights
a. voting
2. judicial reform
C. the political factions
1. Jacobins- Montagne
2. Feuillants
3. Girondins (Brissotists)
a. the war party
D. war; 20 April 1792
1. the Habsburgs
2. French impetuosity, German reluctance
IV. the Tenth of August
A. background conditions
1. fears and resentments rise
a. war defeats invasion
b. inflation and hunger
c. royal vetos
d. journée of 20 June
2. Brunswick Manifesto
B. the “Second French Revolution”; 10 August 1792
1. the fighting
a. who caused it? Danton’s role
b. how did it go?
2. the aftermath; six weeks of chaos
a. the royal family imprisoned in the Temple
b. the September Massacres
c. Danton rallies the resistance –toujours de l’audace
d. elections for the National Convention
V. National Convention
A. abolition of the monarchy
1. only a legislative branch
B. a new age
1. the revolutionary calendar
C. a new constitution?
1. but first, the king must die
a. 21 January 1793
jbp
18 September 2010